Game On! MSG channels in HD arrive on FiOS TV

We heard your pleas for the MSG channels in HD, and now we have good news to report.

I’m excited to tell you today that FiOS TV will add both MSG HD and MSG+ HD to the channel lineup in phases over the next couple of days, with some markets as soon as tomorrow. The channel numbers will vary depending on your location. Look for MSG HD on FiOS TV channel 577, 578 or 579, and MSG+ HD on 579, 580 or 581.

For those who don’t know, MSG Network is a sports and entertainment network that covers local basketball, hockey and soccer. The network is home to the New York Knicks, New York Rangers, Buffalo Sabres, New York Red Bulls, New Jersey Devils and New York Liberty of the WNBA.

We have been fighting hard to provide our customers in the greater New York area with the sports programming they deserve. This includes the HD feeds of both MSG and MSG+, two regional sports channels that until recently were owned by Cablevision.

Until now, MSG had refused to sell Verizon the HD formats of the network’s two regional sports channels. In September, the FCC ruled that MSG was out of bounds and a federal appeals court has now twice denied the network’s attempts at a stay of the decision. What does that mean? Good news for our New York area customers, who now get to watch their favorite teams in the incredible high-def picture that FiOS delivers.

So if you’re in the New York area, don’t miss all your favorite teams in HD. The Rangers are on MSG Thursday and the Islanders are on MSG+. And with the NBA’s labor issues now settled, we’ll have a full slate of Knicks in HD. We’ll continue to work hard on behalf of our customers to deliver the content that you deserve and have come to expect from your FiOS TV service.

Wow! Been waiting for this for a long time. I've had FIOS since it became available and this is a great day. Thanks to Verizon, the FCC and the courts! I didn't see the channels in the guide but they are there if you punch in 578 or 580 on the remote. Presumably the guide will update the next time Verizon pushes it out to the STBs.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! The only thing I ever missed by changing from Optimum (its a four letter word in my house) 5 years ago was seeing my Islanders playing in HD. I guess there really is a Santa Claus!

Sabres fans can temper their enthusiasm for a bit. MSG HD might be here, but the Sabres games are not on the HD feed. As with the other providers, it appears that sabres fans will have to wait for Verizon to get a dedicated HD feed solely for these events. For whatever reason, the HD channel conforms to the NYC feed rather than the upstate feed. Heather or someone else in the know at FiOS... Can you comment on when this might get fixed?

This week has been so strange. Last week, MSG was trying to pull any legal stunt possible in order to keep it's HD channels from Verizon. This weekend, Verizon is carrying MSG and MSG+ in HD, and Time Warner is about to drop them altogether because of a price dispute. Now, MSG is running ads and websites telling people to switch to other providers, listing Verizon as an option. What a difference a week makes!

"We have been fighting hard to provide our customers in the greater New York area " how about the entire nation with providing Goltv HD, ESPN Deportes HD, Fox Espangole HD....confused I guess customers of greater NY takes over the entire nation.....disapointed!!

Yeah, I have a really sweet offer from Crappyvision to switch back, they suck but at lesat I can watch all the Rangers games in HD, when are you planning on putting up MSG2 HD and MSGPLUSHD, I hope it's sooner rather then later because after waiting 2 years for these channels I feel insulted that we only got half the content, enough is enough, time to start giving real answers to this question now that you have the rights to the content, you've become the reason we don't have it!

Again! Ranger game on tonight slotted to MSG-2 while Knicks and Devils game are on MSG-HD & MSG+ HD. This is obviously a deliberate move by those reprehensible Dolans to stick it to Fios subscribers. This the 3rd or 4th time in the last 3 weeks they have done this. They know well the Rangers are the bigger draw so the put them on the one channel that is still not available in HD,

When is Verizon, a multibillion dollar company, going to stop being screwed around by this little cable fifedom!

Get your lawyers back in court and nail them! I thought this was settled by the court ruling? How can they get away with this?

Who can we complain to? Who can we write to? Stand up for your subsribers Verizon!

Manager - Media Relations

Bob stays on top of developments and issues with Verizon’s Consumer and Mass Business segment from his home base in Florida. He has been involved with FiOS since it was first being developed and deployed in 2004.

Manager -- Media Relations

Phil has been extolling the virtues of FiOS ever since he had his Triple Play installed and can’t image how he ever managed without it. He writes about developing technologies that enable him to fuel his addiction to movies and sports whenever he wants, no matter where he is.

Caroline manages the Verizon FiOS Google+ page, capturing the latest in entertainment, technology, sports and everything in between. She loves using social media and the written word to extend the FiOS conversation.